In the manufacture of frozen confectionery, stabilisers are generally used for functional purposes such as improvement of smoothness, prevention of ice crystal formation in storage, improvement of handling properties, while the use of emulsifiers results in smaller air cells which are evenly distributed in the product.
These ingredients are indispensable to the manufacture of commercially acceptable products. Efficient stabiliser/emulsifier systems already exist, but these are often chemically modified products. There is thus a need for providing systems which are more natural and efficient. There have been some efforts in this field.
For instance WO2005/115163 describes the use of vegetable fibres which are more effective to maintain the compactness and structural resistance of similar products that use stabilisers like guar, carob, alginates, carrageenan and others.
EP 1180330 A1 proposes to replace the traditional use of expensive stabilising agents without compromising the organoleptic properties of frozen confectionery. To this end, it is proposed a frozen confectionery comprising fat, a sweetening agent, milk solids non fat, water, starch such that the total amount of starch and milk solids non fat is between 2.5 and 18% and that the weight ratio of starch to milk solids non fat is between 0.03 and 1.5.
Starch, in particular rice starch and/or oat starch, is also present in the composition of WO92/13465 as a fat substitute in frozen desserts. The desserts are said to have an excellent texture, smoothness and mouth feel. Similarly, CN1403008 also discloses the use of rice starch as fat substitute and JP3209714 discloses the preparation of a liquid base for ice cream also comprising rice starch.
EP 1400176 A1 also describes frozen aerated products which have no additional stabilisers or emulsifiers and have an overrun of 10-250%, a pH, when melted, of 3.5 to 5.2, and which comprise 0-20% fat, 0.25 to 20% milk solids not fat, 0.05 to 1.5% soluble dietary fibre and 0.1 to 5% insoluble dietary fibres.
WO 9115517 relates to low-cost crude pectin-containing vegetable product prepared from agricultural waste products which can be useful as a stabilizer for frozen desserts. The raw material may be used directly as it is obtained from the fruit or vegetable processing plants. Especially preferred sources of raw materials for the product are citrus fruit peel, apple pomace and sugar beet pulp.
Stabiliser systems are widely available on the market. These generally include gums, esters of mono-, diglycerides, etc. and are thus mostly not considered as fully natural products.
GB 2359727 also describes an emulsifier composition which can be used in ice creams and which comprises an emulsifier which encapsulates a disintegration improver, such as a fibre or a hydrocolloid.